One of the big mistakes that I see inexperienced artists making when they draw animals is the choice of a poor reference photo. Before they even put pencil to paper, they've made work hard for themselves and limited their chances of success. It is easy to do: I look at this photo and see my cute puppy. It doesn't really register as a bad photo. But it would be really hard to make it work as a drawing, with his paws disproportionately small and his tail seeming to grow out of his head. This article on pet photography has some tips on taking and choosing the right photograph.

More on Photography:
Great Pet Photography
Animal Photography

More on Drawing Pets:
Sketch a Dog
Draw a Cat
Horse Step by Step

Preston Stone has written this beginner tutorial on How to Draw a Manga Character Head for About.com readers.

This lesson is the first of a series, so you can follow along each week and learn to draw different aspects of Manga. This week's is an easy face. Preston has kept the tutorial simple so that younger artists will be able to draw it.

For more on Manga comics, artists and culture, visit Deb Aoki's Manga site at About.com.